Secret selection process helps no one

Just because something can be done in secrecy does not mean it should be done in secrecy. Such is the case with the selection of the state superintendent of education.

The Mississippi Board of Education conducted its search for a new leader in complete secrecy, never once acknowledging who the candidates were or allowing the public the opportunity to meet them. As a result, questions now surround their choice, Carey Wright.

Wright served as the chief academic officer for Washington, D.C., public schools during a time that hundreds of teachers were caught participating in multiple cheating scandals. While Wright was never implicated in the scandals, that she worked directly under the former superintendent who left as a result of the scandals is important information. Unfortunately, according to multiple Board of Education members, this topic was never discussed.

We find it hard to believe that the entire Board of Education was oblivious to the scandal that captured national headlines. However, giving members the benefit of the doubt, you can rest assured that had the interview process been a public affair, that information would have come to the forefront. Wright would have been asked about it and given the chance to discuss it.

The arguments against having an open search are not at all convincing. The most common argument is that an open process limits the pool of applicants who don't wish their current employers to know they are looking, but that argument is not what it is cracked up to be. One has to look no further than Wright for proof. Over the past 12 months, she has participated in three open searches for superintendents at large school districts. Most of the candidates in those searches were employed at the time.

Furthermore, Mississippi doesn't need a state superintendent who does not believe in an open and transparent approach to public education. Given the issues facing public education here, we need a leader who not only is capable of running the department and working with lawmakers but who also can effectively and honestly communicate with parents, educators and taxpayers.

Wright may be a perfectly fine superintendent, and we certainly hope she is. She brings an impressive resume and body of work with her to Mississippi. Her reputation as a hard-nosed educator who has been battle-tested in large and complicated districts leads us to believe she is capable of being an effective leader for the Mississippi Department of Education.

Nevertheless, the manner in which she was chosen and the fact that the state Board of Education did not know about the testing scandal leaves serious questions surrounding her selection.

Time and time again we see boards adjourn behind closed doors - beyond the view of taxpayers and voters - to do the business of those very people. And time and time again we see those closed-door decisions create confusion and hard feelings that easily could have been avoided had only they been made in the open.

The people of Mississippi deserve better than they were given by the state Board of Education - as do our teachers, parents and students. And as does Wright, who now will begin her tenure with a cloud over her selection.